Hello! I’m back.

After a five-year gap, I was visiting my parents in India. They also got to meet both of my daughters for the first time IRL. Their earlier visit was blocked by Covid, and then by a humongous backlog of Indian tourist visa applications to the US.

In the end, my wife and I decided to take our almost one-year-old and almost three-year-old daughters on a long-haul flight to India. It was a massive undertaking because we had never taken our children on a plane before. 

Since we moved to Pittsburgh from New York last month, we drove 7 hours to JFK Airport New York, then flew to Delhi via Doha (~3.5-hour break) on Qatar Airlines. From door to door, the journey took almost 30 hours. Although it was daunting, we were able to do it. And of course, then another 30 hours to get back home. 

Despite the challenges, the kids did well, and it was great to spend time with family and friends again. We also attended my cousin's wedding in Jaipur. It's a big fat Indian wedding. Fun times. 

Here is a picture of us at the Wedding Ceremony:

Let's get back to business, but . . . 

First of all, let me share a few observations I made in India.

1) Today's India: 5 Observations

1. Digital payments have really taken off.

From malls to street vendors, digital payments are available everywhere. Local vegetable cart vendors had QR codes and mobile payment options all over their carts.

Not so long ago, India was a predominantly cash transaction economy, today digital payments have taken off big time.

2. More tech startups and more upcoming entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship energy is at an all-time high with the rise of tech startups and upcoming entrepreneurs.

The mindset shift is massive, today the budding entrepreneur is more confident about starting and running a business in India than he was a decade ago.

Indian young people are more confident about their choices and dream bigger.

3. Lots of pride in building a self-sustaining economy.

There is a strong sense of trust in the direction the economy is headed, and people believe the country should focus on building an economy that can sustain itself.

It is clear that the growing middle class and their purchasing power are contributing to the country's prosperity.

4. Local infrastructure is improving.

Public infrastructure has certainly improved in the Delhi NCR region. To manage transportation better, there are many flyovers and bridges. 

There is still a lot of traffic on the roads, and the infrastructure is still catching up. The local infrastructure is improving, but there is still a long way to go.

5. Inflation ⬆

Employment and salaries have grown everywhere, which has resulted in higher inflation.

❤️ Youth's attitude toward the country and its economic growth is generally positive.

2) Category Creation Shortcut

What's the best way to sell a product nobody is looking for?

Here's a shortcut for creating a category.

You built a product that nobody wants, but everyone needs. It's fine, nobody was looking for Slack, or Uber either.

How can you quickly establish your name in people's minds?

You can hijack people's attention by positioning yourself against the current bad alternative.

The following are just a few examples:

• Salesforce: When they launched, they ran a campaign against software.

• Dollar Shave Club: Challenged expensive razor oligopolies.

• Uber: Rallying against taxi wait times.

You can gain attention by being against something.

However, it can also backfire. Be careful who you choose as your enemy.

Avoid naming specific companies when opposing what you're against, and make sure what you're against is something people won't feel bad opposing.

3) Demand Creation Hack

A successful demand generation function does a great job of both creating and capturing demand.

Marketing teams excel at capturing demand but struggle with creating it. So, here is a hack for you to create demand -

That doesn’t mean the first company with a product available for sale in the market.

The iPod wasn't the first digital music player, but it was the first to educate people that they could have a 1,000-song collection in their pocket.

It’s not about the first mover, it’s about the first brand educating the market. 

Educating isn’t about how to use their product.

It’s about educating the buyers about the category and establishing yourself as a thought leader.

Interesting Thing That I Read Last Week

Jason is the founder of SaaStr (one of the largest B2B software conferences in the world) and an OG SaaS pioneer. His content on LinkedIn is 🔥🔥.

Tweet That I Noticed Last Week

Gaetano is a one-man marketing machine. One of the most honest marketers you'll ever meet, he is a startup growth advisor. Go follow him on Twitter.  

What Do You Think?

This concludes this edition of Fresh Salmon.

I would like to hear what you thought of today's newsletter.

Also, let’s connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Cheers,

Vivek

PS. I love you ❤️